6 Fruits And Veggies To Eat With The Skin On

POSTED ON July 13, 2015 BY Brandon Epstein

Written by: Brandon Epstein

“The skin?”

Yes, the skin.

In many fruits and vegetables, the most nutritious part of the produce is the skin!

If you’re like most people, after you peel an orange or finish eating a banana, you throw that peel directly into the garbage. It turns out though that when you trash that peel, you may be trashing some precious nutrients as well.

So, if you are trying to get the most nutrition out of your food budget, the next time you are about to toss fruit peels into the trash, do some research first.

To get you started on this simple eating hack, I will be showing you in this article 6 different fruits and veggies that I like to eat with the skin on.

1. Kiwis

People have been eating kiwis with the peel on for centuries. You should eat this nutrient dense peel for two main reasons.

First, you’re going to triple your fiber intake. Fiber is highly important for a multitude of reasons. It can reduce your chances of having a stroke, it improves heart health and helps to control your blood sugar levels.

Second, although kiwi’s fuzzy outer shell might seem unappealing because of the strange hairy fibers, it is loaded with large amounts of vitamin C that will boost your immune system.

2. Oranges

Like kiwis, oranges are famous for their high vitamin C content. We often reach for a glass of orange juice for a vitamin C boost, but few of us know that most of an oranges vitamin C is actually found in the peel, along with other healthy vitamins that really pack a punch.

If you’re worried about the strong taste of the peel, you can simply grate orange peels and sprinkle them on other food you are eating (for example, an Asian chicken salad). You can also boil the peels in water and make tea, or use shredded peels in your baking. With a range of other benefits from relieving coughs to cleaning kitchen sinks, orange peels are a true gift from nature.

3. Bananas

While banana peels are not as sweet as the inside of the fruit, they contain high amounts of potassium and fiber. In addition, banana peels help facilitate serotonin release, which can help improve your mood.

On top of those awesome benefits, the high levels of vitamin B6 can give you an energy boost and improve your cardiovascular health. And – you guessed it – banana peels contain more vitamin B6 than the inside of the fruit. Raw banana peel might be a bit unpleasant to eat by itself, but it’s taste can be masked when combined with other flavors, like it is, for example, in this creamy banana dessert.

4. Mangoes

Do you know that in some parts of the world, eating mangoes with the skin on is the norm? Mango skins are a good source of mangiferin, resveratrol and norathyriol. These antioxidants have a whole host of benefits from anti-inflammatory properties to decreasing allergic reactions.

Like the other fruits on this list, these antioxidants are found in the inside the fruit, but the greatest concentration of them is in the skin.

In 2004, the USDA found that among the 100 foods being investigated, two apples – the Red Delicious and the Granny Smith – have the twelfth and thirteenth highest antioxidant content. Those antioxidants can help prevent Alzheimer’s, decrease chances of developing cancer and reduce cholesterol.

I hope that you never peel another apple in your life, as a skin-on apple a day truly keeps the doctor away! Apples are part of the dirty dozen list, so just be sure to always buy this delicious fruit organic.

6. Potatoes

If you’re going to eat potatoes, make sure to leave the skin on. A potato that hasn’t been peeled has about 70% more iron and 35% more potassium than a peeled one.

Additionally, eating boiled potatoes with the skin on can be just the trick you need to facilitate additional weight loss.

There you have it, my friend. Six of my favorite fruits and veggies to eat with the skin on. These are definitely not the only foods out there, so if you have some favorites of your own please let us know in the comments below!

Brandon Epstein is a former college football player, turned professional fitness model and serial entrepreneur. These days he spends his time helping people look great and feel awesome over at ZenDudeFitness.com. He can also be found hosting the Zen Dude Fitness Podcast where he’s always looking for new ways to make fat loss fun, simple and efficient for everybody.

Glenn was in an accident with a hockey puck that made it so his mouth had to be wired shut! While he was going through recovery he found that Organifi Protein sustained him in a healthy way where he was able to maintain his muscle mass while still be able to loose weight.

-Tragedy Turns to Opportunity, Weightloss and Holistic Health

Glenn was in an accident with a hockey puck that made it so his mouth had to be wired shut! While he was going through recovery he found that Organifi Protein sustained him in a healthy way where he was able to maintain his muscle mass while still be able to loose weight.